Just in Time
by mymy
Summary: Someone's Getting Married....can her true love get there in time? (SHUIS)
1. Default Chapter

***PROLOGUE****   
  
Today was 'suppose' to be the happiest day of her life. It was a day that every women dreams of. Today was going to be the beginning of the rest of her life. She was finally laying rest to her past and moving forward. This was the beginning of her new life as Ms.........  
  
  
The day started out like any other day. The sun rose and shone brightly over the island located just off of Bermuda as the residents of the little hotel prepared itself for a celebration. The resident 'mermaid' was getting married and everyone wanted to make the occasion memorable.  
  
The maid of honor, ever the perfectionist, was busily ensuring that everything was in place for the wedding;  
  
The best man was off somewhere trying to locate aliens and ufo's and the rings;  
  
The groom was getting ready for his 'BIG' day; and  
  
The bride was a complete wreck......... 


	2. Chapter 1

The day before..............  
  
HARMONY  
  
***RING****RING****RING*****RING*****  
  
  
"Hello?"   
  
"Momma?" The voice on the other side asked hesistantly.  
  
"An...Antonio...?" Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald asked disbelievingly.   
  
"Yes Mama...its me, Antonio. How are you doing?"  
  
"oh Mio......I can't believe its you......" Pilar cried. The happiness in her voice at the confirmation that the caller was indeed her beloved long lost son was clearly apparent.   
  
"Yes Momma, it's me...I am so sorry that I haven't called you in a while but......" Antonio began, but was cut off almost immediately by Pilar.  
  
"No apologies my son... as long as you called me now, there is no explanation...you don't know how happy you made me when you called......"  
  
As Pilar continued to ramble, as all mothers do when talking to their children, Antonio, otherwise known as "Brain" just enjoyed the sound of his mothers soothing voice. It had been years since he had heard her ramble about nothingness.  
  
Brain knew that all the pain and suffering his mother had gone through as a result of his 'disappearance' was all his fault. Over the years he had almost succumbed to his loneliness and weakness by picking up the phone to call home just to hear the sound of his mother's voice, but alas, before the call could be successfully be put through, he hung up.   
  
  
"Momma..." Brain interpreted, because he knew that if he didn't his mother would continue her ramblings for hours...... ".........the reason for my call......I know its short notice but ....uhm.........I was wondering if you and the rest of the family are free to come down to Bermuda today......"  
  
"Why mio?...Is something wrong?" Pilar asked with concern.   
  
"No...no...its nothing like that momma.........to tell you the truth....it's a happy occasion......I'm getting married......!"   
  
Pilar stared at the receiver in shock. She had heard from Luis that Brain was seeing someone seriously, but the shock of hearing her beloved son's voice after all these years was more than Pilar could take, now to hear that her son was getting married.........  
  
"Momma? Are you there? Momma..." Brain asked in concern  
  
"Yes Mio, I'm here, I'm just in shock. I can't believe that you're getting married. What's her name? When is the wedding? And of course we will all attend."  
  
"Thanks Momma! I sent you the tickets, you guys should be getting it soon. I'll pick you up Please tell everyone that I love them and can't wait to see them and for them to meet my bride. Oh yes, please ask Beth to come along. She knows Diane, well sort of. Anyhow momma, I gotta go, there are a million things I gotta do before the wedding. Please make sure everyone comes......I love you Momma...See you in tonight. Bye" and with that Brain hung up. 


	3. Chapter 2

iToday it seemed like everything reminded him of bHER/b. From the moment he awoke till this moment, he couldn't think of anything else. He tried, gosh he tried desperately, to push thoughts of her behind him, but alas to no avail. Today seemed like any other, but to him it meant a painful reminder. Tomorrow was going to be exactly one year to the day that he lost bHER/b./i  
  
bHARMONY POLICE DEPARTMENT/b  
  
Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald was quickly trying to finish typing his report about the purse snapping incident that had occurred earlier in the day. He wanted to make sure that his desk was cleared before he left for the day.  
  
Ever since that fateful days almost a year ago, when he lost his 'love' Sheridan in a tragic boating accident, Luis had put all his efforts and concentration in his work in order to keep busy and avoid thinking about his loss. For the most part it had succeeded, however, there were times, like this one, that no matter how busy he tried to be, the memories of Sheridan refused to go away.  
  
i****FLASHBACK*****  
  
The first time he met her when she 'rammed' her car into his......  
  
The first time they danced the tango at Momma's party.......  
  
The first time they kissed............  
  
The first time he told her he loved her..........  
  
The first time she told him she loved him............  
  
The first time they consummated their love............  
  
The day he asked her to marry him...............  
  
The moment she made him the happiest man in the world by accepting his proposal......  
  
Their 'almost' wedding.............  
  
The day he lost her..................  
  
And finally the pain...............  
  
  
****END OF FLASHBACK***/i  
  
  
It seemed to Luis that today the memories of Sheridan seemed so strong. These days it had become pretty easy to push her memory aside to do work. At first it was difficult, but as the months passed and the realization that God was not going to grant him a second miracle, it became easier to live his life without Sheridan.  
  
iGoddarnit!/i Luis thought to himself. iWhy can't I stop thinking about her today?/i Ever since he awoke in the morning he couldn't seem to push thoughts of her out of his mind.   
  
i***RING***RING***RING****/i  
  
The sound of his desk phone ringing interrupted his thoughts of Sheridan, albeit momentarily.  
  
"Office Lopez-Fitzgerald here, how may I help you?"  
  
"heheheh you know exactly how you can help me" the sultry voice replied on the other line.  
  
Luis just laughed. "Behave yourself Ms. Wallace, otherwise I might just have to ......"  
  
"have to what? Arrest me?....Now why don't you just try it...." Beth Wallace, Luis' high school girlfriend and current girlfriend jokingly interjected.   
  
The sound of Beth's voice gave Luis some much needed reprieve from the memories of Sheridan. Hearing Beth's voice brings a smile to Luis' face. He still couldn't believe that he and Beth had gotten back together. Though his feelings for Beth could never resemble those he felt, and still feels for Sheridan, he couldn't help but deny that in the last few months, he had begun to develop deeper feelings for Beth, feelings that he had thought had died with Sheridan.  
  
There was no denying that Sheridan was his soul mate, but after the trip he took to Bermuda with Beth, Luis finally realized that he couldn't live in the past, that even though he moved on with his life with Beth, it did not diminish what he had with Sheridan.   
  
"Don't dare me women! Cause I just might do that!" Luis said jokingly. For the next couple of minutes the two just banter with one another as if they were still in high school.  
  
As abruptly as the teasing began, it ended. Suddenly Beth became quiet and serious.   
  
"Luis, I got some news......... your mom just called me...." Beth began.  
  
At the mention of Momma, Luis automatically assumed the worst. "She's O.K. right Beth?" Luis asked with concern.  
  
"Don't worry Luis, your mother's doing fine, great to tell you the truth." Beth knew how important Luis' family was to him, especially his mother. Beth knew that the reason why they didn't get married all those years ago was because of the responsibilities Luis felt he owed to his family after both his father and older brother had disappeared.  
  
"Luis, Brian's getting married.....TOMORROW....and we're all invited to the wedding" 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3   
  
BERMUDA   
  
Now why did you and do a stupid thing like that? Antonio a.k.a. "Brian" Lopez-Fitzgerald asked himself once he hung up the phone. The moment the conversation ended with his mother, the regrets started pouring out. It was not that he wasn't happy that he spoke with his mother, on the contrary, hearing the sound of her voice made him feel as if all the years he had been gone was just a dream.   
  
"Brian....."   
  
At the sound of his name being called, Brian's frown turned upside down. The sound of his name flowing from her sweet voice made Brain feel warm all over. Brian turned and looked at the source of the interruption.   
  
"Yes Diana?" Brian asked.   
  
As Brian listened to her sweet voice talking about and reminding him of last minute details of the upcoming wedding, Brian couldn't help but reflect on his good fortune.   
  
Who knew that a year ago when he went fishing that he would literally 'catch' the women of his dreams. He remembered that day so vividly, it was a day that would live in his life as the beginning of his life. Before that day, Brian lived for the moment, having not a care in the world, nor was there any wanting to think about the future. When Diana was 'caught' in his net, all that changed. Brian always mocked at the term "love at first sight", now, however, he now couldn't deny that one can love at first sight. It had happened to him.   
  
In the first few days, it seemed that she would not survive, being that she suffered from a strong case of hyperthermia, however, with the grace of god and a lot of good 'doctoring' from Doc, she survived and awaken.   
Brian remembered the exact moment she woke up, when he stared into her deep shinning blue eyes and fell even deeper in love, if that was possible. When it was found out that she did not 'remember' anything, Brian had secretly celebrated because that meant that she wasn't going to jump ship and leave him. As the weeks went by and 'Diana' as she would call herself, got stronger, she began to remember bits and pieces.   
  
When Diana remarked that she remembered a 'great'love, Brian's heart once again jumped. He feared that eventually Diane would leave him and return to this man. As a result, you could imagine the joy he found in hearing that the 'man' was dead and would never return to claim her.   
  
A part of Brian felt bad that Diana couldn't remember her past, however, another part, the selfish one, secretly celebrated Diana's anesmic state. The benefits of an anesmic Diana was greater than that of a Diana who had her memories. While still suffering from amnesia, Diana's dependance on Brian was clearly obvious, and one that he relished in.  
  
"Earth to Brian....." Diane said jokingly. "Are you alright?" she asked with a little bit of concern.   
  
"Ah...nothing....at all..... I am just a bit distracted is all" Brian answered.   
  
"So you remembered everything right?"   
  
"Don't worry...everything will be perfect" Brian reassured Diana for the uptenth time. 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4   
  
Don't worry, everything is going to be perfect....   
  
Then how come I don't feel that way? Diana asked herself. How come I have this very bad feeling that something is going to go extremely wrong? Its as if, I don't know...   
  
Diana was so very confused. One part of her was extremely excited about the prospect of embarking on a new phase in her life, a life where her past would be completely behind her. She knew that she was marrying a wonderful man, a man that loved her unconditionally, and a man that she herself couldn't have survived the last year without. There was no denying that she owed Brian her very life, not only did he save her once but on several more occassions. Each time he 'saved' her, he became more of her knight in shining armour, and when he asked her to marry him, she just couldn't refuse.   
  
****************FLASHBACK********************   
"Diana, would you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?" The man she knew as Brian O'Leary asked her on bended knees.   
At first, Diana was speechless, she didn't know what to say. As she looked deeply into his eyes, the word just came out spontaneously   
"Yes"   
********************END FLASHBACK*****************   
  
Thinking about the day that Brian 'proposed' to her made Diana very nervous.   
Why, Oh why did I say yes? Especially when I am clearly not ready? Diana asked herself for the millionth time. I can only say that my response was clearly a result of the situation at that time.   
  
The situation that Diana is referring concerned the trip to Bermuda that they took together a few weeks back. Diana remembered being so very excited about the prospect of going to Bermuda because she felt that ther must be someone there we would recognize her. But alas, coupled with a cold that left her bedridden for the first half of the trip, and a low tourist attendance at the time, Diana was not able to find anything else about her past.   
  
Diana was so sick that she had even lost the opportunity to meet a member of Brian's family, his brother. She remembered meeting with him and dancing with him, but unfortunatly they were masked and Diana was so sick that she couldn't remember what he looked like nor sounded like. The only thing she felt for sure was that this guy was an amazing dancer and that there was just something about him.....   
  
Before she had the opportunity to 'explore' this feeling, she was once again overtaken by her sickness and had to immediately go back to bed. When she had recovered enough, Brian's brother and the women he was with, left.   
Once recovered, Diana had become extremely depressed because she had yet to find a clue to her past. Subsequently, in an effort to cheer her up, Brian had suggested that they 'research' her past life on the Titanic.   
  
What they found astonished them both. They found a women almost identical to that of Diana and to make things more astonishing Brian, at least a man who strongly resembled Brian, was there also. Then they found out the two people, who looked like them, had gone on and married and had 4 children. One of which was still alive. Diana and Brian then proceeded to rush to meet their 'child' only to find disappointly that he had passed away. Diana remembered feeling such pain and sorrow at the loss of a man who for all intents and purposes was old enough to be her grandfather and a total stranger.   
  
When Diana found out that her 'child' was dead, she almost broke down and that was when Brian asked her to marry him. Diana remembered that she had almost given up hope and when Brian asked her to marry him, she grabbed it as if it were a lifeline. At that moment she knew that there was no hope, she wasn't going to remember her old life and had resigned herself to a life with Brian and without her memories.   
  
Diane had also seen a picture of another man on the Titanic, this time a picture of her dead lover, at least a reincarnation of him. When she saw that picture, she experienced such happiness and sadness at the same time. Looking at his picture made him more real to her, however, sadness because she knew that she would never see him again, at least not in this lifetime.   
At that moment Diana chose to forget about him, though hard as it may be, she knew that she couldn't continue pining for a dead man, even though he was her soul mate.   
  
And now, that brings us to the present.   
  
Diana is totally conflicted. One part wants to move forward with her life while the other is fighting, holding back. Warning her that what she was about to do was going to be the biggest mistake of her life.   
Dear God! What am I to do? 


	6. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5   
  
She was so very excited. She couldn't believe that she and Luis were going on yet another trip together, albeit his family was also around. However, the fact that they were taking 'another' trip together made their relationship all the more serious.   
  
Beth had loved Luis with all of her heart, ever since she was in high school, however, because of forces beyond her control, being the disappearance of both Luis' father and his brother, she lost him. Luis had decided that he couldn't abandon his family like his father and brother, and thus he had to sacrifice his life in order to ensure that his family was well taken care off.   
  
When Luis 'broke' off their relationship all those years ago, Beth was devastated. However, as the years progressed, she learned to accept Luis' decision and attempted to go on with her life. She tried dating others, but alas no one came close to that of Luis. Luis, according to Beth, was perfect. He was sweet, sensitive, and caring. Even though years had passed, she still loved him.   
  
So she waited, and waited, and waited.   
  
When Luis met Sheridan and fell in love with her, Beth was distraught. She thought her life was over. She couldn't help feeling resentful and angry at Sheridan, even though Sheridan was one of the sweetest person she knew. She thought that her life was over when Luis proposed to Sheridan. When the wedding was cancelled as a result of Ivy Crane driving her car into the church to expose Theresa for talking to the tabloids, Beth had secretly celebrated. Though she knew that the wedding was temporarily cancelled, she still felt that until the two were married, there was still a chance for them.   
  
So she waited, and waited and continue to wait in silence in hopes that 'fate' would give her the chance to be with Luis. When Luis and Sheridan went on their 'honeymoon', she cried because she had finally realized that it was over between her and Luis and that no matter what she wanted, she was never going to get Luis.   
  
So she moved on, but just when she was about to finally let go of her 'love' for Luis, the news that Sheridan had drowned trickled their way from Bermuda to Harmony. As Beth mourned the loss of Sheridan with everyone else, she secretly celebrated the demise of Sheridan. She never wanted any harm to befallen Sheridan, but she couldn't help feeling that her death meant a second chance for her and Luis.   
  
She had made Luis happy once, and she knew that she could do it again.   
Sheridan's dead. Luis has finally excepted it and has moved on with his life with me. I won't allow anything to jeopardize our relationship. God help those that try to stand in my way. Beth vowed to herself. She wasn't going to sit patiently around and wait for Luis to love her again.   
Beth finally realized that the only way to 'get' what you want in life is to actively work for it, as opposed to passively sitting back and waiting for 'it' to happen.   
  
Beth knew that Luis didn't love her the way he loved Sheridan....   
  
"at least not yet. But he will. Soon he is going to ask himself "Sheridan who?" Beth knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but she was very optimistic, besides, how hard could it be to fight a ghost. A man's got needs, and there is no way in hell a ghost can ever satisfy those needs. And when that happens, I will be there. Beth thought excitedly.   
  
The sound of the grandfather clock startled Beth out of her thoughts. Looking at the clock, Beth realized that she had only a couple of hours to prepare and she had yet to pack. She ran upstairs and excitedly began to pack her belongings for her upcoming trip with Luis. 


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6   
  
"Momma....I don't see him." Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald said as she scanned the airport for a sign of her brother.   
  
"Of course you don't see him Theresa" replied her younger brother Miguel in exasperation. "You haven't seen him since you were a kid...and he's never sent us a picture of himself as an older man"   
  
"True...true....but he couldn't have changed that much, besides, all I got to do is look for someone that looks like you and Luis." She replied with confidence.   
As Theresa and Miguel continue to 'look' for Brian, Luis, Pilar and Beth was busily getting the suitcases.   
  
"That girl, I can't believe that she packed 4 suitcases for three days. What is she going to do? Where it all?" Luis asked in exasperation as he lugged yet another one of Theresa's heavy suitcase off the luggage machine.   
  
"Oh Luis, Theresa's a young women. She just couldn't decide what to wear and decided the best course of action was to bring everything" Beth said. "Besides, the return of 'Julian' and her subsequent loss of the Crane fortune has made her extremely depressed, added with the fact that Ethan has now moved on with Gwen, she just needs to keep busy, and hearing of Brian and his wedding has made her excited. Its been a while since she's this excited." Beth reasoned.   
  
"She's right mio" interjected Pilar. "We just have to be patient with her is all"   
  
"Yes I know, but still, 4 suitcases for 3 days? She would have to change every hour in order to wear everything."   
  
As the visiting Lopez-Fitzgerald gathered their luggages, Brian was running a bit late. Liz had had a problem with one of the caterers and he had to go to speak with them. By the time he was done talking, he realized that he only had twenty minutes to get to the airport. Luckily the airport wasn't too far, and traffic was light.   
  
Finally Brian reached the airport and found a parking spot. He hurriedly ran towards the arrival section and was relieved that the passengers on the flight from Harmony was just now getting off the plane.   
  
Brian turned to his companion and talked while the waited for his family's arrival. He couldn't help but feel dread and excitement at the arrival of his family. Though he had been back to Harmony in Christmas and seen them, it didn't count because they didn't know he had come back. Now, after over 10 years, he was finally going to come face to face with his family.   
  
"There they are" Brian exclaimed. He started waving his arms up and down in order to get their attention.   
  
"There he is Momma" Theresa exclaimed excitedly as she ran towards the brother whom she rarely remembered but had heard so much about.   
As Brian embraced each one of his family member, he couldn't help but be happy that he had invited them. He couldn't wait for them to meet his future bride.   
  
"Uhmmmmmm" his companion reminded him about her presence   
  
"Momma, Miguel, Theresa, Beth, Luis, please let me introduce you to......."   
  
Luis gasped in shock. 


End file.
